1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and in particular to an image forming apparatus with a multi-job function which allows management of multiple jobs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image forming apparatuses with multi-job function include, for example, that which has a memory for storing image information and can read an original as a job while another job is being printed out.
Conventional image forming apparatuses with multi-job function first completes a job being printed and then starts printing out the next job, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-75772.
Thus, discharged printed sheets of a job overlap a set of discharged sheets of the preceding printed job and this makes it difficult to remove only the set of the discharged sheets of the preceding job. Furthermore, when the sheet size for a job is the same as that for the next job, the jobs must be identified according to the images printed and this makes the apparatus less user-friendly.
To reduce the overall output time for a plurality of jobs, however, outputting a job need be started as soon as possible after the output of the preceding job is completed.